Teach English in Liyuan Zhen - Yuncheng Shi

A quick Google search defines culture as: “the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular people or society” (2019). It then becomes imperative to discuss that in a vastly globalizing world, which or rather whose culture do we propagate in the classroom atmosphere? As educators, we are often caught off-guard in multilingual and multicultural classrooms, with little to no understanding of the diverse cultures present. According to Krasnoff, “A teacher’s own way of thinking, behaving, and being are influenced by race, ethnicity, social class and language.” (2:2016). Language is the medium for all humans to associate/interact with a specific culture. We think in a specific language and our common attitudes, systems of socialization are developed via the same. It is this same system(s)/ cultural more(s) that we carry with us to the classroom. For instance according to a research published by Ruggs and Hebl: “Teachers are more likely to refer White students to high-track classes…and Black and Hispanic students to low-track classes.” (3:2012). Incidents such as these might deter students from a specific cultural background from performing well as they might indulge in fatalism, which is furthered by the teacher’s complacent attitude towards them. When we look at language instruction, an understanding of culture(s) plays an extremely important role. As mentioned earlier, language is a medium of interacting with a specific culture. For instance, let’s consider the case of multiple englishes. How did these dialects develop? A short answer might be, because of England colonizing a vast majority of the continents, ranging from Asia, America, Africa and even Australia. However, if we look closely, the kind of English spoken in all of these geographical locations isn’t entirely the same. The various indigenous cultures of the land have assimilated the language into their own, which is what has led to the rise of pidgins, Indian English, American English etc. Over the years, English has assimilated words such as ‘jungle’, ‘bazaar’, ‘rendezvous’ etc. “Culturally responsive teaching [is] the use of diverse students’ cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference and performance styles…” ( Gay 2010 in Krasnoff 2016). This can be of particular use in the language learning classroom. For instance, if a culturally responsive teacher wishes to teach speaking skills to her class, she might assign them the following task: Assuming that it is an intermediate level class, the teacher might ask his/her students to research their family history, origin stories and present the same to the class. It will not only help the teacher gain a better understanding of where the child is coming from but also help students learn about each other and promote an atmosphere of tolerance. The advent of globalization has resulted in constant interaction with people and cultures that are vastly different from us. This is something that the language teacher has to take cognizance of. Students must be made aware of the ‘language’ with which to address each other. Cultural mores are often encoded in language and students have to be made aware of the same. Hence it becomes imperative for the language teacher to be mindful of his/her speech. Let us now briefly look into the usage of course materials in the language classroom. According to Rajagopal, “English teachers can use a variety of methods to teach similes, including examples from familiar sports stars…For instance, ‘Kobe flies like an eagle, and the crowd is frozen in anticipation.’” (2011). When teaching any skill or say a language component, it will be more effective if we relate it to our students’ everyday lives. It is not necessary that we know the nuances of their individual cultures, but try and find a middle ground. For instance, if we know that our class largely enjoys pop music, we can try to bring references from the same. Furthermore, a quick search of language and literature curriculum at some of India’s top universities shows that the emphasis still predominantly lies on British English. There seems to be extremely limited exposure to literatures in translation or literature from non-native English speaking countries. The reason to bring in this analogy is to emphasize the importance of having diverse material in the classroom. Very often the material we choose subconsciously promotes a stereotype; for instance, if we’re discussing games such as basketball, we often typecast the players as being African- American. According to Morris and Mims, “One of the best tools a teacher can have is a comprehensive list of multi-ethnic authors and books that can be used in all areas of classroom instruction…Books should be chosen that not only focus on peoples’ differences but also on their similarities.” (31:1999) More often than not, when teaching language, teachers often seem to get carried away with accuracy as opposed to fluency. Despite reading multiple articles that dismiss over-correcting, we seek to ensure that our students accurately produce language. Often times, we overlook certain linguistic elements that might be hindering a student’s ability to produce language. To further substantiate this, Krasnoff suggests that: “Culturally responsive teachers not only understand the linguistic structures of their students but also the contextual factors…delivery and vocabulary usage…” ( 10:2016). As teachers, we need to be patient, and not give in to our own stereotypes and biases. Furthermore, we need to take cognizance of students being caricatured for their production of language and seek to limit if not end this occurrence. To conclude, a culturally sensitive classroom will seek to ensure that regardless of a student’s social class, ethnicity, race etc, he/she is made to feel safe. The course-materials too allow students to interact with and learn about diverse cultures and develop a more tolerant/accepting attitude towards the same. A culturally sensitive classroom will tend to build on the teacher’s and the learner’s similarities while acknowledging their differences. References Krasnoff, Basha. “Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Guide to Evidence Based Practices for Teaching All Students Equitably.” Education Northwest, Mar. 2016, educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/resources/culturally-responsive-teaching.pdf. Morris, Robert C, and Nancy G Mims. Making Classrooms Culturally Sensitive. 1999, docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1436&context=eandc. Rajagopal, Kadhir. “Culturally Responsive Instruction.” ASCD, Mar. 2011, www.ascd.org/publications/books/111022/chapters/Culturally-Responsive-Instruction.aspx. Ruggs, Enrica & Hebl, Michelle. (2012) Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Awareness for Classroom and Outreach Education. In B. Bogue & E. Cady (Eds.). Apply Research to Practice (ARP) Resources. Appendix Syllabi of Delhi University and Jadavpur University Courses in English http://www.du.ac.in/du/uploads/12102017_English.pdf http://www.jaduniv.edu.in/upload_files/dept_file/1313490111-1.pdf